


Summer Vacation...in Schitt's Creek?

by artbyweb86



Category: 9-1-1 (TV), Schitt's Creek
Genre: Boys Kissing, Caring Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Conversations, Domestic Fluff, Friendship, Hiking, Hurt Evan "Buck" Buckley, Injury, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Parents Can Be Embarrassing, Road Trips, Silly banter, Summer Vacation, Summer in Schitt's Creek, poor Patrick, poor buck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:28:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26378815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artbyweb86/pseuds/artbyweb86
Summary: Buck and Eddie go on Vacation. They end up in Schitt's Creek. They meet David and Patrick. New Friendships. The usual chaos. Some mild injuries/hurt/comfort.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan “Buck” Buckley & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Patrick Brewer & David Rose, Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Comments: 12
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I love 9-1-1 (TV) and Schitt's Creek and frequently binge my favorite episodes. So, why not combine the two?

"So, why are we taking this route? Seems like a strange detour to where we want to go.”

Eddie was in the passenger seat of their rental car and Buck was driving. He had insisted which immediately made him suspicious, but also a little relieved when Buck took over the planning for this trip.

He was usually the planner and had everything mapped out of when and where they would go. He felt like it was a good system, especially when traveling with his young son with CP. He had to find places that could accommodate his son who had limitations, even though he never complained. That boy had a heart of gold.

After meeting Buck at work and becoming quick friends, there had only been a few days of tension. Buck had said he was jealous and felt like he was being replaced. Not the case. He learned that Buck was full of ideas and would just do them on almost a whim. Never really thinking of the consequences. Which resulted in some bad blood and strained relationships.

They had been able to get past that and eventually discovered that their friendship went deeper than just two men hanging out and realized they were practically co-parenting a kid together. They started dating and it felt like nothing had changed and they were so happy. 

Chris was always asking when they would get married, a little grin on his face, as if he knew something was going to happen.

Sure enough, only six months ago, they both proposed at the same time, on top of the ferris wheel, of the opening for the newly renovated pier, which had been destroyed by the tsunami.

It had taken a few months of therapy and overcoming the fear of water for Buck to actually be able to step onto the pier once more. He was nervous, but he had been able to suppress the feeling of being tossed by the large waves that almost destroyed his life that day.

“Don’t worry Eds, the GPS has us going the right direction.”

“You’re not going to tell me where we are going until we get there then?”

“You got it! This is our first stop on our road trip.”

“Ok, fine. Can you give me a little hint at least?”

“Nope!”

“Of course you’re not.”

Buck just smirked when he did a quick glance at Eddie who just smiled and shook his head. He knew he was enjoying this. They had been through a lot lately, health and work wise. They definitely deserved the time off.

He looked out the window and could see farmland as far as the eye could see. They had passed several antique shops and barns. He wouldn’t be surprised if they saw horse and buggies. He felt like he was back in Pennsylvania when he was younger.

They don’t know how they pulled it off, but they had been granted a three week vacation from their firehouse. It worked out with Christopher’s schedule as he would be at summer camp the same time. He wished Chris could come with them, but Chris was so excited to be doing something on his own, and their trip was going to be mostly camping. Chris wasn’t a big fan and told them to have fun with out him.

Buck was flipping through the radio to find something that was playing other than static and when he found something he liked, he placed his hand loosely on the gear shift and head bopping to the music.

Eddie couldn’t resist and placed his hand on top of Bucks, interlacing their fingers. Happily singing along to the music under his breath. Laughing when Buck would purposefully mess up a lyric.

He must have dozed off because he startled awake when he felt the tires hit gravel and it felt like they were slowing down.

He opened his eyes to see they were next to a corn field and nothing in front of them, again for miles and miles. He turned to see Buck, who was practically bouncing in his seat as he pulled to a full stop on the side of the road and unhooked his seat belt.

“What are you doing, Buck?”

“Come Eddie! Get out of the car. I want to show you something.”

Intrigued now, he opened his door. He got out and stretched and the full odor of farm land hit his nose. He regretted that full intake of breathing, he was almost gagging from the potency of it. He could hear cows nearby. Oh. He grew up in Texas, but he was a city boy. Now, they both live in Los Angeles. The air quality was not as fresh as this.

He could see Buck standing a little further up, eyes closed and enjoying the cool breeze that helped relieve some of the heat and humidity of the day. He walked up to him and stood by his side, still confused as to why they were stopped in the middle of nowhere.

“Hmm…this is the only thing I’ve missed about Pennsylvania. The fresh air and the smell of farmland.”

Eddie knew he had a rough childhood with parents who didn’t really care about him. They provided the essentials for him to live, but they basically ignored him. His sister practically raising him on her own until she had to leave for school and got married shortly after. Buck had said riding his bike and helping the local farmers was his escape from the reality that nobody wanted him. It helped him earn a little money for him to be able to save a leave as soon as he was able. Traveling, gaining real world experience, eventually trying out for the SEALS. He quickly learned it was not for him. He decided to go another route and trained to become a firefighter. He succeeded and has become one of the best in the field.

He poked Buck’s side and waited until he opened his eyes and flashed him his big toothy grin. The blue in his eyes were really striking in this light. It took his breath away.

“Look up there.”

He followed the direction of his finger and was shocked to see a billboard. How could he not have noticed it when they first stopped?

_Schitt’s Creek. Where everyone fits in._

He didn’t have the words. What?

“Is that a famous creek around here? A town? How are they allowed to have a sign like that. They are in a very compromising position. Wow.” 

“Schitt’s Creek is a town. Where we are going. Our first stop. According to the travel sites, the two people are brother and sister and that he is just helping her collect water. But I see what you are saying. They say it brings people of all kinds of tourists anyway. I don’t know what that means. Anyway, Schitt is a family name apparently. Roland Schitt is the mayor. It’s a small town, but it gets great reviews. The people are friendly and come away with great stories apparently.”

Buck took out his phone and took a selfie with the sign.

Eddie just sighed. Leave it to Buck to find the most obscure place in the middle of no where to visit.

Buck took a few more pictures, before pulling Eddie in front of the corn field to take a few regular photos of just them. Buck even snuck in a quick kiss that quickly turned out into a makeout session. A fresh gust that pushed the farm smell into their faces forced them to pull apart and laugh as they realized they were making out on the side of the road.

They were on the road for only about ten minutes when they spot a large black car on the side of the road with its hazards on. As they were getting closer, a man, dressed in all black, his oversized black sweater with a white lightening bolt on the front standing out, was standing in the front of the car, phone to his ear and waving his other arm. He seemed to be yelling. He hung up and scrunched up his face and looked up at the sky. A look of defeat if they ever saw one.

They both looked at each other and nodded. Buck pulled up a little further and pulled over.

“Hey sir? Are you ok? Do you need help?”

The man flinched and made a funny face, his thick eyebrows scrunched together, as he was now staring at two very handsome men in front of him.

“Oh, thank god! I have two flat tires and just ran out of gas. I am going to kill Alexis. She had it all week. She is so bad at the whole maintaining thing. My parents, well, they actually don't have a car right now. All the people that could help me, can’t help me. My fiancé is visiting his parents for the day. The mechanic is on lunch break and refuses to come until he is done. Oh and Patrick is gonna kill _me_. The store is closed longer than it should be.”

He kept rambling and was now pacing back and forth.

Buck waved a hand to get his attention.

He stopped and looked confused as he just noticed they were there again.

“Can we give you a ride?”

The man’s face lit up.

“Really? Oh my god. Yes! Can you help me move some boxes to your car? I have some perishable items that need to be at the store. Any longer they might spoil. Oh god. Can you imagine? The store isn’t too far from here.”

“Uh, where are we taking you? Is your car going to be safe here?”

They had just moved the last of the boxes in the trunk and the man noisily made his way to the back seat. Angrily staring at his phone.

“Oh, yeah. The car will be fine. Uh, the town is called Schitt’s Creek. Family name. Spelled differently than the, you know.” He waved his hand that had multiple gold rings on it.

He and Eddie exchanged looks. Eyes wide.

“Well, lucky for you. We are headed that way too.”

He just stared at them like they had two heads. But them smiled widely. 

“Well, alright then. Onward, my knights in shining armor. You have saved this damsel in distress.”

They both blushed, earning a grin from their back seat passenger. They were on their way towards town.

“Oh, my name is David. David Rose.”


	2. Chapter 2

He cursed under his breath as he heard the engine sputter and then die. He was able to pull off to the side of the road safely. He turned the key and it sprang to life for a few seconds before it completely died again. He was able to see the gas gauge read empty before the car turned off again. He got out to seriously consider putting the car in neutral and pushing the car the rest of the way. It was flat land the whole way. But he looked down and noticed the front and passenger side tire looking really low, almost flat. No way that would work now.

“ _Fuck!_ Alexis!” 

He was going to loose his entire inventory of cheese and meats for the store if he didn’t get back to the store soon.

His sister had been given the privilege to drive the car last week as she had errands and class to attend. 

They had a rule set in place for this very reason. The last person to use it, has to top the gas and make sure everything is in proper order. 

They had some money now, with the store starting to take off and the motel seeing more traffic, but they couldn’t keep making mistakes like this.

He didn’t want to bother Patrick, as he was visiting his parents.

He sent Alexis a quick text.

**D - _I HATE YOU_**

**A - Aww, love u too**

He just scrunched his face in frustration and tried calling Bob.

It was straight to voicemail.

_“You've reached Bob. I am on my lunch break right now. I will get back to as soon as I can. Thank you.”_

Maybe he was in a town hall meeting with his mom. She had mentioned something this morning, but he was barely paying attention.

He dialed her number and after a few rings, she picked up.

“Hello David. What do I owe for the pleasure of your call?”

“Mom, are you still in meetings today? I need to speak with Bob.”

“Oh, we’ve completed our transactions for the day. He said he was going home. Something, something lunch something nap. We really contended with many subjects today.”

“Do you have his home phone number? I need him to tow my car.”

“Will you be back for lunch, dear. I am famished and your father decided to eat earlier without me. Can you believe that? I guess I was working past lunch. You know he gets positively irritable when he hasn’t eaten.”

“Mom! Please listen!”

“Oh dear. David there is no need for your vociferation! Just spit it out.”

“Can you tell Stevie to call Bob? She has better luck at getting him to move his ass.”

“Sorry dear. I am already at the cafe. I must go. Kisses!”

And with that she hung up.

“Ughhh!”

He raised his head to the sky and closed his eyes in frustration. Anxiety already building at the thought of loosing his inventory becoming a very real thing.

Just then, he heard a car approaching and slow down. A small jeep pulled over and two very handsome men hopped out. The driver hopped out and approached with a concerned look on his face. His blue eyes were very striking, that he barely noticed the birthmark. He gave an audible gasp. 

That seemed to set the blue eyed man into action, as he motioned for the passenger to come over, who had been hanging back.

“Hey sir? Are you ok? Do you need help?”

He went into a rant of what had happened and that he was unable to get transportation. He missed their confused exchange, but because he was rambling, he was startled when Mr Blue Eyes waved a hand in front of his face and offered to give him a ride. His jeep looked big enough to hold his inventory, which they were glad to help and were able to quickly load everything up and they were on their way.

“I am David. David Rose. Thank you so much for helping me today.”

The driver spoke up first.

“I am Buck and this is Eddie. My fiancé.”

“Oh, wow! Congratulations! I am engaged too. Patrick, the one who may murder me today, is away for the day. I think I already mentioned that.”

Buck was a strange name. He would ask about that later. No need to alienate his rescuers. Maybe in his past life he would have done that.

“Why would he murder you?”

“I was on an inventory run for products for our store. If they get ruined, we can’t get another batch until next month. That would ruin my reputation and trust with the clients.”

“Is that where we are headed now? What kind of store is it?”

“Yeah. It’s a branded immersive experience.”

The passenger, Eddie, turned in his seat, as if to ask what that meant.

“Yeah, I know! I know. Patrick scolded me when I came up with that as a business plan. I essentially collect products from local vendors around the area and sell them at my store. Cheese, wine, beauty products, house hold items. Stuff like that.”

“Oh, wow! That is such a cool idea! I am really excited to see the place now!” Buck exclaimed.

He watched as Buck smiled brightly. He glanced at Eddie who was watching him with a fondness that he recognized when Patrick would do the same when he went on long tangents himself.

“Uh oh. I see those wheels turning Buckaroo. You’re gonna go on an internet deep hole search of all the products once we get to the hotel.”

“There is nothing wrong with that. Right David?”

“Absolutely! The more informed you are….”.

Buck’s eyes danced in the rear view mirror. He couldn’t help but smile back. These guys were fun.

They drove a little longer until the came upon the town and he directed them to take the road that would get them to the store.

“This place is so quaint. I bet everybody knows everybody.” Eddie spoke up as they drove by the small houses.

“For the most part. There are some people that like to keep to themselves. But for the most part, people just like to help and stay informed. Gets a little annoying at first, but you just gotta treat them like your annoying little sibling or an unwelcome aunt.”

Buck chuckled at that. 

“Oh, there is the store. You can park on the side.”

They parked and while they started gathering the boxes he opened the store. He left the door open and made a space for them on the counter. 

“Oh wow! This place is so cool.” Buck said as he started looking around.

Eddie put down the last box and hung back and watched Buck.

“Like a kid in a candy shop. Can I help you unload the boxes, David?”

“He really is! That would be great, thank you. They all go in this fridge at the front.”

While they were unloading and he was showing Eddie the certain spots the cheeses and meats would go, Buck was stopping at certain items and asking about them.

Eddie commended this man for keeping up with Buck’s enthusiasm.

“Huh? What’s this? Body Milk. Can you drink it?”

He stopped, squeezed his eyes shut, took a breath and then stated what he tells almost every new customer who walks in.

“It’s lotion. Milk for your body. All natural.”

Buck examined it for a few more seconds. “Huh. Interesting.” Before he put it down and moved on to the item.

He turned to Eddie. He whispered.

“It’s also good for other things. Like in the bedroom. Almost better for, eh hem, you know. Lube.”

Eddie’s eyes went wide and his cheeks reddened. “Ohh…”.

“If you want to have that for your trip. I’ll include that free. You would just have to buy something in the store. If you are looking for something romantic, the cheese and meats here are really good. We get fresh fruits in the morning. And we also sell wine.”

Buck snuck up behind Eddie and whispered in his ear. Both smiling. Buck pecked him on the cheek, grabbed the body milk, and continued looking around the store. 

“I guess we will take that, and we’ll take the wine and a few cheeses too.”

“Sweet. Give me a few minutes. I’ll ring you up and then you can take me to the motel with you. I technically live there still, even though my fiance and I have an apartment together. But since I don’t have a car. I can’t get there.”

Buck and Eddie spent their time looking at the wines and agreed on a few cheeses plus some spreads that he helped pair with what they chose.

They went back to the car and waited while he made sure everything was in order and closed up shop for the day.

Once outside, he pointed to the cafe across the street.

“Would you care to join me and Patrick for dinner later? Once you get settled in of course. It would be our treat. For saving me and my product. Say around 7?”

Buck nodded. “That would be great!”

They got in the car and he directed them again to the motel. He showed where they could park.

“The front desk is right there. The girl at the desk is Stevie. She is my friend. You can drop my name or not. She has a dry humor to her, so don’t get offended if she says something weird about me. If you can give it back to her, she will like you right away. I am at the end there. We can meet outside when we go to dinner.”

They nodded and linked hands before heading to the office. 

He made his way to his room and texted Patrick.

**D - I made some friends today!**   
**My car died, almost lost new inventory. They saved me.**   
**Long story. Tell you later.**   
**Will you be home soon?**

He opened the door to his room to find it quiet. Even his parents room was miraculously empty.

He sighed and sat on the bed.

**P - Aww, babe! So proud!**   
**I am leaving now.**   
**Be home in an hour.**

**D - OK. I want to treat them to dinner.**

**P - How thoughtful! Great idea!**   
**See you soon, my love.**

His phone pinged with a new text.

**Stevie - I like them**   
**where did u find them?**

**D - Story for another time.**

**S - Ugh! Fine. No extra towels for you!**

**D - I need the key for the sex room.**

**I have clothes still in there.**

**I have no car and the men you just booked were my ride.**

**Patrick will pick me up later.**

**S - So bossy.**

**I'll drop them off later. Or not.**

**You know where to find me**

He was smiling. He was getting better at connecting with people. And even though they may only be here for a few days, he felt like he already made some life long friends.

He decided to take a quick nap and set his phone alarm, so he had time to take a shower and get ready.


	3. Chapter 3

They are sitting in the cafe. David chose their usual booth and with him facing the door. That way he can be prepared to shoo anyone away from their table. He wanted to have a normal quiet dinner without interruption.

Twyla came to the table with her big smile and plopped the menus down. He expected the men across from them to be put off by the size of the menu and amount of items. They just looked at each other and smiled, before being swallowed up by the menu to look for an option.

Once they put their order in they were able to start a conversation. They were very easy to talk to.

Since Patrick hadn’t met them yet, he dove right into the serious questions. He tried to elbow Patrick’s side to lay off the interrogation, but they both just glanced at each other and dove right in.

“How did you guys meet?”

“At work. I was a little jealous of him.” Buck answered with a little smirk on his face.

“A little? You practically bit my head off and then accused me of being better than you.”

“Ok, true. I did do that.”

“Then we got a call. We had to remove a grenade from a patient’s leg. I had some training when I was stationed overseas. Told him he was badass under pressure and we’ve been connected at the hip ever since.”

David’s eyes bugged out of his head. Patrick gasped.

“A grenade? What?”

“Oh, we are firefighters. Did we not mention that?”

Both he and Patrick shook their heads. But it made a little more sense. They had some volunteer firefighters in town, but they haven’t had any real big emergencies in a long time.

Buck went on to say, “It was a gradual thing. I was ready to make a move, but his wife came back in the picture a few years ago. Their son needed some extra care. She needed to be there for that.”

He stopped talking, suddenly looking guilty about something. Eddie moved to touch his cheek.

“Buck, it’s ok. She died in a car accident. I’ll miss her, but we were never good for each other, except we produced the sweetest kid in the whole world. He is my whole world.”

Buck sighed. “I was also hung up on an older woman, thought she was the one. She left to go traveling after her mother died, never came home. Our communication dwindled over time and then radio silence. I’ve had other girlfriends, but they couldn’t handle the dangers that came with the job. So that sucked.”

“We leaned on each other during those times. It just felt natural, you know?”

Patrick nodded in understanding. “I was with a woman for most of my life. Same girl for a long time. Thought she was the one, until it didn’t feel right. I don’t think it ever felt right. Just what people wanted me to do. I moved away, met this wonderful man beside me, he was trying to open the business, I thought he was cute, so I became his business partner. We worked really well together. One thing led to another.”

David held out his hand to show off the four rings.

Buck reached out to examine them.

“That’s pretty unique. And very shiny! Good job keeping them maintained.”

“Thanks. It my signature look. I have silver ones before and depending on my mood, I switch them around on my fingers. I noticed you guys aren’t wearing any rings.”

“We don’t wear jewelry because of our jobs. We may get the silicon ones. Or tattoos.”

Eddie just gave him a look.

Their food came and they shared a large plate of fries and chips and some dips. One of Twyla’s new inventions. It wasn’t half bad. He was just grateful she didn’t offer them one of her signature drinks. They would have probably sent them off running and screaming.

He was so focused on his food that he didn’t notice the door ping and his sister and Ted had entered.

“David! Look at you being all social! Aren’t you going to introduce me to your new friends?”

“Oh god! Don’t sneak up on my like that. Especially when I have food in my hands. You know I don’t like to spill anything. This shirt is Dior!”

“Oh, don’t be a baby, David.”

“Go suck on a tailpipe, Alexis.”

Alexis huffed and whipped her hair in his face, eliciting a frown and growl from her brother. Ted was just standing off to the side, looking lost and also trying to get Twyla’s attention.

Buck found this all very amusing and was watching the exchange with all his attention. Eddie a little more alarmed at the tailpipe statement, glanced at Patrick. He just chuckled, his eyes crinkled.

“They are like that all the time. It’s all out of love.”

Alexis turned her attention to the newcomers and did a little gasp.

“Oh you poor thing! Did you get into a fight with some of the boys in town?” She plopped herself into Buck’s lap and started examining his eye.

Buck let out a startled gasp, but let her touch his face.

“It’s not an injury. Just a birthmark. Had it all my life. I’m Buck. This is Eddie. My fiancé.”

A big smile spread on her face. She got up and straightened her skirt, ignoring Ted poking her shoulder.

“Oh, well. I like that for you, Buck. And Eddie is a good look for you.” She then booped both their noses. 

Ted had managed to finally get their food. He looked like he wanted to join the conversation, but once Alexis started talking and seeing the vein on David’s head popping he tried dragging her toward the door.

“Oh David! I heard that Jake is having one of his parties tonight. You should totally take these two. Stevie said she will be there too. They are so much fun!”

“Nope, nope, nope.”

Just when everything seemed to settle down and they could eat peacefully, Roland walked in. He made a beeline right for their table. He stuck his hand out to shake the newcomers hands.

“I am Roland Schitt. Mayor of this town. Welcome. If you need anything, you can ask David, since he actually owns the town. I’m just his lowly servant.”

“Not funny Roland. Did you need something, or did you just want to make the new people uncomfortable.”

“Actually, I was wondering if you guys are handy with woodworking?”

“Uh, I’ve done a little here and there. Made a deck for my aunt. But we are only here for a couple days.”

“Well, if you could spare a couple hours on Monday? My son is a carpenter, and he could use some help with a bigger project that he took on. The teens he hires sometimes aren’t very reliable, if you catch my drift. My wife will cook us a big dinner afterwards.”

Eddie caught David’s eyes, who was not so subtly, shaking his head.  
“Um, can we let you know? We just got here and only have a short time for vacation.”

“Of course. You could always drop by unannounced. The wife will have fondue.”

David made a gagging noise. Patrick held in a giggle and buried his face in his shoulder to get him to stop.

Roland stood there awkwardly for a few minutes, staring a Buck and then turned around and talked to Twyla who nodded and went into the kitchen.

“He’s interesting.” Buck said.

“You don’t know the half of it. His son is a good guy, helped me make a chest for my sweaters. But, for the love of god, don’t have the fondue. Don’t even get me started.” He shuddered at the thought and all it did was bring back bad memories.

“You own this town, David?” Eddie asked. The statement from Roland had peaked his interest.

“There is too much to unpack on that. Long story short. My dad bought it for me as a joke when I was kid. We were really rich, we got screwed by our financial guy, lost all our money, this place was the only saving grace. So we started here from scratch.”

They left that topic and chatted a little bit longer.

“Do you guys have any recommendations for hiking places around here? We would like to get out and explore before we leave.”

“Sure, I can let you know the trail I took David on to propose. The view is great. Come to the store tomorrow morning, I can draw out a map for you. It’s not far, but lots of windy bends, can be easily missed.”

“Great, thanks!”

“You know, that girl was kinda sucking on that tailpipe. The one we rescued. Remember Eds? She and the other girls were flirting with us so hard.”

“I remember. This girl was dared to stick her head in an overly exaggerated sized tailpipe and got stuck. The guy actually named it. Betty or Lola? I can’t remember now.”

“You must encounter a lot of strange things on the job, huh?”

“Oh, yeah. Stories for another time. I’m bushed. Time to head back?”

They all nodded in agreement. David left the money on the table and they headed out and were just about at the car when they heard his mother calling out. His father closely behind.

No, not now. Why now?

“Oh David! We missed you today! I see you have some handsome gentlemen callers. How lovely. Are you going to paint the town red tonight?”

“No. We are taking them back to the motel. They have an early morning tomorrow.”

“Oh, we shan’t keep you then.”

His father was looking a little tipsy. Nothing good could come from that once he starts talking.

They were now in the car, doors about to close, when his dad calls out.

“Don’t forget to use protection! David! I heard swapping can be tricky business.”

“Oh my god! Ewwwwah!” 

David felt like dying right then and there. But felt a little relieved when he could hear snickering in the back seat, and dared to look in the rearview mirror. Buck and Eddie were leaning against each other, laughing. He glanced at Patrick who was also laughing. 

He let out a little laugh himself and all he could say was, “Parents.”

It was the next morning and Eddie and Buck were packing their backpacks, to get ready for their hike.

They were dressed in layers as it was cool this morning, but was supposed to get warmer later.

“Hey Buck, let’s get the stuff in the car and then swing by the store. I’ll run in quick to get the directions from Patrick and we can enjoy the day.”

“Yeah, Patrick was saying the trail is easy, but pretty steep. They also had a pretty heavy rain storm recently, so we might have to be careful on some parts. Cell service is bad too. We should account for that.”

“Good to know. We have the cheese and meat in the cooler?” Buck nodded, pointing to his pack.

They got into the car and headed to the store.

They could see Patrick inside already. 

The sign on the door said closed as Eddie approached. Buck stayed in the car.

Eddie knocked and Patrick smiled, waving for him to come in. The door was unlocked.

“Good Morning Patrick. You look busy. Just here to get the directions and then we’ll be out of your hair.”

“Good Morning Eddie! Not a problem. I always get here early. Just making sure everything is in order. Make sure we have enough inventory. David is not a morning person and will come later.”

He moved around to the register and opened a drawer in the desk and pulled out a paper, with a detailed looking map.

“There you go. I think you guys will really enjoy it. David complained most of the way. He is not athletic at all or does anything that makes him sweaty. But he helped me when a large thorny branch went through my shoe. I almost didn’t propose, cause it didn’t feel like a romantic conclusion, but I went with it. Best decision ever. And just keep an eye out for bad patches, we had a heavy rain a few days ago, so some places might be unstable. It might be ok now, but always be on the safe side.”

“Thank you Patrick. I’m glad it all worked out in the end. Alright. We better get on the road. See you later?”

“Yeah. Have fun!”

Patrick waved and then disappeared into the back. He glanced at the map for a minute before walking to the door. He was about to turn the knob when he heard a shout and a loud crash.

He whipped around and in a few strides made it behind the counter. All he could see was a bunch of boxes scattered on the floor. Several of the shelves had broken and fallen over, the boxes of inventory now on the floor.

“Patrick?!”

He couldn’t get a good look in the dimly lit room. So he flew to the front door and shouted to Buck.

“Buck! I need your help! I think Patrick is hurt. A bunch of shelves fell. I can’t see him.”

Buck’s eyes went wide. He shut off the car and then dashed inside, following Eddie to the back room.

“Patrick? Can you hear me?”

A small groan and they could see a hand snake out from one of the boxes and shelves.


	4. Chapter 4

Patrick was up early this morning, as he had some restocking to do for the store, but he also had to draw out a map and directions for their new friends. He was glad to be able to share his happy place away from home. The place he had proposed to the love of his life.

He glanced at his watch. 5:30 am.

Quickly going back upstairs, he checked on David, who was still buried under the covers.

He smiled at the sight.

He ran his hands through David’s hair to get him to wake up.

After a minute, he stirred and let out a pained, “whyyy…?” Before burying deeper into the blankets.

“Hon, you know you have to see some vendors today. No sleeping in for you.”

“Nhghaa.”

He chuckled. It was always a chore to get him up early. But it was worth it, to hear the funny noises coming from his fiancé. So adorable.

“Hmm? What was that?”

“I’m up. I’m up!”

“Good, I’ll be at the store if you need me.”

“Hmfff.”

He was tempted to jump on top of his fiancé to get him moving, but it was probably best that he be in a good mood when visiting the vendors, so he settled for a quick kiss to the forehead, as it was the only thing visible from the sea of blankets he had cocooned himself in.

He gathered his things and he was out the door.

David rolled over trying to get comfortable and possibly doze off again after Patrick so rudely woke him up at such a god forsaken hour. He didn’t know how people could do it. And before the sun even came up. He then remembered the vendor he had to see today and the promise of really good cheese samples. That made his mouth water. Cheese in the morning. Yes, please. Cheese all day, every day if he could. And the woman had promised a new blend that would be to die for.

He reluctantly tossed the covers off and rolled out of bed and into the bathroom.

Feeling clean and confident about the day, he checked his schedule and remembered he left his notes about the vendor at the store.

Perfect. He still had time to stop at the cafe to pick up a coffee and some breakfast for Patrick to drop off at the store before he had to go on his vendor call.

Twyla happily greeted him with two coffees and he only had to wait a few minutes for the meal to be ready.

Taking the food and drinks with him, he made his way over to the store. He could see the rental car that belonged to Buck and Eddie. They had a day planned to go on a hike where he and Patrick had planned the rest of their lives. Patrick offered them directions.

He was the two men by the register as he walked up and about to enter the store. But the scene seemed strange.

He opened the door to hear Patrick’s pained voice. The trio hadn’t noticed the bell.

“…it would take too long. The hospital is about half and hour from here.”

“Then I’ll need to set it here. The longer it is out of place, the more risk of permanent damage.”

Set it? Permanent damage? What happened?

“Ummm…what’s going on?”

Buck and Eddie turned around to reveal Patrick sitting on the counter, his shirt had been cut open to reveal his shoulder, with a pained look in his face and a cut above his eyebrow.

He gasped and quickly moved to his side.

“Oh, babe! What happened?”

“I’m Ok. The shelves in the back collapsed as I was grabbing something and I fell off the stool, catching myself, I dislocated my shoulder. Maybe broke my collar bone?” He glanced at Eddie and Buck who nodded in agreement.

“I’ll need to set it before we take you to the hospital. David, can you come to his uninjured side and keep him steady. Buck will help me with the procedure.”

They all got into position, and Eddie started probing around the shoulder area to feel for any other abnormalities before slowly lifting and rotating his arm. Buck kept his back straight as he was squirming and hissing at the movements. David pressed his forehead to his and whispered encouraging words.

Eddie did a few more quick movements until there was a sound of the joint sliding into place.

Patrick gave a gasp of pain and then a sigh of relief as the pain went away and was replaced by mile throbbing. Eddie grabbed a scarf from the backroom, and wrapped it so his arm was bent and held at his chest.

“We can take you to the hospital. You may have a mild concussion too. Though all of your reactors appear to be normal. You might just get away from with a big goose egg on your head.”

“Nonsense. I will take him. You guys go enjoy your hike. Please. You did the hard part. Thank you for taking care of him.”

Patrick smiled and nodded in agreement.

“Are you sure? At least let us help you to the car.”

“Can you take him to the car, it’s unlocked. I need to call to cancel an appointment I had today.”

“Oh, no. I’m sorry! I forgot about that. What about the store? Do you think Stevie could help?”

"Shh, none of that. You can't help it that you got hurt. Let me make some calls."

Instead of going to the car, they helped Patrick to a chair, while David made a few phone calls after going outside. Without asking, the two firefighters moved to the backroom and started bringing out some the boxes that had fallen from the shelves and moved them to the designated spots around the store. With a little direction from Patrick, they took out the items and started putting them out. Within a few minutes they were finished and then went to dismantle the rest the shelves that had broken and tossed them outback with the trash.

“Wow, thanks guys. You worked quickly. Knowing David he may have to reorganize a little, but we probably won’t have to worry about it right now.”

“Hey, no problem. You will need to order better shelves. We can give you some suggestions, since we have them at the station that holds all of our equipment.”

“That would be great.”

“How is the arm feeling?”

“I’m sore, but it’s not too bad.”

Eddie nodded and took his penlight out of his pocket again and did a swipe of his eyes. He moved the shirt to check his shoulder. There was already some bruising forming near the collar bone. It didn't feel like it was broken, but with the shoulder being dislocated, it was starting to swell up a little bit.

Eddie finished his examination and they both sat down next to Patrick and watched as David talking animatedly on the phone, walking back and forth in front of the store.

Buck chuckled. “Is that a good sign? He looks frustrated. Hopefully everything is going OK. He also looked like that when we picked him up on the road.”

“Don’t worry. That is just how he is like, most of the time. He will get it figured out.”

David hung up and sighed dramatically before entering the store again.

“Alright. I rescheduled my vendor meeting til next week. Jocelyn said she will watch the store. Stevie is out of town on a hotel convention for the expansion. Roland is taking over at the hotel here for the weekend. God help us all.”

He and Patrick exchanged a little laugh before Patrick let out a small gasp of pain.

“Shit! Sorry, hon. I think we should get going. You guys are OK to go. Thank you again for taking good care of him.”

They gathered their things and helped Patrick to the car before getting back into their car.

David ran the key over to the cafe to give to Twyla. Jocelyn would pick up the key there.

After following David’s car for a few miles, they turned off onto a dirt road that would take them to the hiking trials.

There indeed had been some tricky turns before they got to a small grassy parking lot that was at the base of the trails.

They grabbed their packs and other supplies and found the trail that Patrick had directed for them to go on. There were several other trials that they wanted to try out once they did this one, as it was up in the mountains and had a really good view during the day. The rest were flatter and mostly wooded. One had a creek running along it. They could try their luck at fishing as they brought small poles with them.

They took a selfie at the beginning of the trial and started in.

It was slow incline from the start. It was a good workout and they had to take frequent breaks. The tress were thinning out too so they were starting to get glimpses of beautiful scenery.

Buck’s leg was starting to bother him. That strange twinge that made his leg ache for several days after a tough call. When he had to wear the heavy gear. On bad weather days. 

He ignored it and pushed onward, making sure to stretch his leg when they stopped for breaks. Trying not to bring attention to it for Eddie to worry. He did not want to put a damper on the day, when they had only just started.


	5. Chapter 5

David concentrated on the road ahead, trying to avoid any bumps and potholes as much as possible. Even with Patrick’s arm back in place and strapped to his side, any jostle earned a small whimper from his passenger.

He glanced in his rear view mirror to see that Buck and Eddie were following them and then turned off the road to their hiking adventure. He was glad they were around. Eddie had said that if they waited longer until they were at the hospital to get it set, then there might be more permanent damage to the shoulder. And this was his throwing arm. He might never be able to play sports again.

Patrick had paled at that. David sucking in a breath, immediately grabbing onto Patrick’s good arm.

Eddie immediately reassured them that it wouldn’t be a problem, but that a hospital visit was necessary, because the collarbone was worrisome. Hopefully not broken.

Buck nodded in agreement. Once again checking his eyes and head. A small cut that might need stitches, but no concussion.

They helped Patrick off the counter and steadied him for a minute before sitting him in a chair as he stated he needed to make a few phone calls first. He headed out, and only glanced inside for a minute when Stevie gasped in shock and asked how Partick was, and was very sorry she couldn’t help. He could see the trio talking and watching him, as he realized, in his usual fashion, hand gestures abound as he called and explained to the people what was happening.

They were all smiling back at him, including Patrick, who had that smile, just reserved for him. He blushed and looked away as he was finishing up his calls.

They had the store settled and Patrick was in the car and they were on the way to the hospital.

“We are almost there. How are you doing?”

“I’m OK. It’s just a constant throbbing in my shoulder.”

“Can you tell me the pain. Scale? Just in case you aren’t able to let the doctors know.”

“Umm…maybe a 5 or 6. When it flares up, with a bump or I move. 9 or 10.”

“Ohh..that bad?”

Patrick didn’t answer. Just gave a puff of breath, as they hit a small bump in the road.

“Sorry!”

He stopped talking and kept a close eye on the road this time. They approached a sign for the hospital, stating only a few miles away at this point.

As they were continuing to climb the trail his leg was screaming at him. That hot white pain that makes it feel numb. He pushed through and was grateful for the small breaks they took. He tried to keep the pain out his voice when they would chat. Maybe it was a good thing they were both a little breathless.

They finally got to the spot that Patrick had indicated on his little map. The view was spectacular. The sun was shining and trees as far as the eye could see. A town could be seen in the far distance, but there was no noise to disturb the nature.

“Buck, sit on that rock over there, before you fall over.”

“What? I’m fine!”

One look from Eddie, prompted him to slightly limp to the rock that was perfect for picnics. He stretched his leg out and absently massaged it as he watched Eddie start setting up their picnic.

“How’s the leg?”

“It’s tight. I should have stretched before we started.” He left out the being in pain part.

Eddie just shook his head and by the time he finished setting up, they had plenty of food to feed a small group. 

“Wow, Eds. You went all out! This looks delicious.” 

His mouth was already watering.

Eddie sat next to him, and just smiled into his eyes.

Buck smiled back. “What?”

“This is where Patrick said he proposed to David. He injured himself when things got sticky on the hike and it almost didn’t happen that day. But David came through. If I hadn’t already proposed, I would have done it right here. But instead I will just keep my promise to keep loving you, forever and ever.”

Buck was smiling and chuckled. “Forever and Ever? That was so cheesy, babe. I love you, too. Speaking of cheese, I think we should dig in.”

They ate all the cheese and crackers and Eddie even produced a wine from the bag, with two plastic flutes.

He kept his leg straight out, so he kept the pressure off. 

Eddie silently motioned for him to bring his leg over to him. He placed in it in his lap and grimaced a few times as Eddie worked his shoe off and then started massaging his calf. After a few minutes his leg seemed to calm down.

“Thanks.”

Eddie stopped massaging, but kept his hand on his leg, absently rubbing his thigh as they sat in the small patch of sun that broke through the trees.

He was looking around the area, ready to take a few pictures, when he noticed something that looked out of place in the rock near by. He scooted over and took a closer look.

It was a small heart dug into the rock with the initials **DR & PB** inside of it.

“Hey, do you have your pocket knife?”

After a minute of searching in the backpack, Eddie found it the side pocket and tossed it to him.

He scratched a heart and their initials **EB & ED** inside of it. Just below the one was there. Maybe he could start the trend for the next couple to come and discover this spot. Then motioned for Eddie to look at his artwork.

“Now who is the cheesy one? This is like high school level stuff. But, I think it’s fitting for this moment. I never had moments like this with Shannon. We didn’t get to have the kind of romance that I envisioned for us. I kept running off to war, coming home to another war, and a baby that I couldn’t connect with. Sorry, got a bit deep there.”

“Hey, you don’t have to explain it to me. I know all of that already. It’s OK. I’m glad you can share that with me again. I am glad that I can give you a better experience.”

They held each other for a few minutes before Buck took his phone out and took a picture of the hearts. Then of one of them sitting next to the etchings. And one of them kissing.

He got a little carried away with the photo taking, when he noticed the time.

“So you think we should pack up and head back to the campsite?”

“Yeah, probably a good idea. Its gonna get dark in a couple hours.”

They didn’t have much to pack, and within a few minutes they had their bags on their back and he stretched his leg, glad that it wasn’t hurting anymore. Maybe a slight throb, but nothing he couldn’t handle.

Downhill should be easier.

Or so he thought.


	6. Chapter 6

David was driving home from the hospital with a slightly drugged Patrick in the passenger seat. Luckily he didn’t have a concussion and only needed two stitches for his head wound. His shoulder had been set properly and there was no break to the collar bone, just bruised. Rest and meds were all that were required. He thought Patrick was dozing, but jumped when he suddenly spoke.

“You think Buck and Eddie are having fun on their hike?”

“Hmmm…is that a jab at me?”

He glanced over quickly to see a small smirk on his fiancé’s face. Oh, it’s on now.

“They will be fine. They are probably a thousand more times athletic than you and me combined.”

“Hey! I play sports!”

“That’s different, and you know it. You are getting a little tubby in the middle, mister sports guy.”

“What! No I’m not! Are you trying to make me cry? You know I get emotional when I am drugged up.”

“Oh, I am fully aware.”

“Well, you are getting a bit chunky yourself, mister dior."

“Waat! You take that back! I go to the gym everyday.”

“You do. Ugh, fine. But you are making up for this by coming in early to the store all next week.”

"I'll give you 3 days."

"No, all 6 days."

"You can't make me do anything!"

"You underestimate my power of persuasion, Rose."

"Oh, really Brewer? I don't break easily."

They continued their bickering all the way home.

~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~

Buck and Eddie were making good progress coming back down the the mountain. His leg was cooperating, so they didn’t take as many breaks.

That may have been a mistake.

They came to one particularly steep section that they didn't have a problem with when going up. 

Going down was a little trickier.

He allowed Eddie to go first. He followed and they moved slowly down. He tried not to think about the sheer drop off to this right. He was never scared of heights, but in this circumstance, he knew he had to be aware of his surroundings.

Then in a second, everything seemed to go wrong. His leg gave a spasm as he stepped down on that leg. His knee locked up and he tried catching himself, but he must have stepped on some loose gravel, because the next thing he knew he was on his butt and sliding down the path

“Shit!”

He must have yelled loud enough for Eddie to stop and turn around, his eyes wide when he saw Buck sliding towards him. He quickly moved out of the way, fully expecting Buck to catch himself, but he just kept sliding down. There was a curve just ahead, and sheer drop off in front. The direction Buck was currently heading. There were some trees that might stop his fall, but who knows how stable they were.

“Fuck! Buck! Dig your heels in! Dig in!”

Buck was in shock of how fast he was sliding that he didn’t register that he was heading towards the cliff. He snapped out of it when he heard Eddie yelling at him.

His leg, once again, was on fire and cramping, but he had no choice, and dug his heels in, slowing his decent a little bit. He dug his hands into the gravel as well.

Finally coming to a stop he opened his eyes, breath almost leaving him, as he realized his feet were dangling just over the edge. He quickly scooted back, laying on his back, hands pressed to his face in shock, relief, pain, anger.

All Eddie could do was watch as Buck seemed to come out of his shock and dig his heels in the loose gravel, it only seemed to help a little, his hands came down, fingers digging in as well. He finally came to a stop at the very edge. Then Buck scrambled back and lay on his back, bringing his hands into fists and then pressing them into his face. Breathing hard and silent.

He carefully scooted on his butt down to his fallen partner. Once reaching him, he didn’t say anything, but carefully started examining his bad leg. Buck was tense throughout the process, hissing at each movement, but kept his hands over his eyes.

Eddie finished his prodding, determining nothing broken, but just an overused and tired limb. 

Buck was back to full strength and healed, but occasionally had a bad day, with aches and cramping. But they seemed to be far and few in between. Though they had been working hard before their break. Many stressful calls that required full gear and heavy equipment.

They sat quietly for a moment until Buck broke the silence by cursing under his breath and pounding his fist into the ground.

Eddie let him do it for a few seconds, before he noticed that his hands were bloody, probably from stopping his fall. He reached out and pressed a hand to Buck’s chest.

Buck stopped and his breath hitched. A tear falling down his cheek.

“Damnit, Eds. When am I going to ever feel healthy again? Just when I start to think everything is good, I have a set back.”

He reached out and silently wiped the tears from Buck’s face and started examining his bloody hands.

“It’s gonna happen, mi amor. One day, this will just be a blip of the radar. Nothing else. We definitely push the envelope on things, don’t we? I think we should cancel the rest of our road trip. We had hiking for most of the trip. Safe to say, it ain’t happening now.”

“Cancel our trip? Eds, we just got here!”

“I know, Buck. Hmm…how about we stay in Schitt’s Creek for a few days. We have that construction job on Monday, that we could help out on. If you are feeling up to the task. And then maybe do a small road trip before heading home.”

Buck finally sat up, and nodded, liking that plan.

Eddie took out his first aid kit and his water bottle. Washing away the blood on Buck’s hands. They were mostly scraped up, nothing deep. He cleaned the wounds and wrapped his hands in gauze, until the could get a better look when they got back to the motel.

“How’s the leg?”

“Just throbbing now. Painful, but I think I can manage, with your help.”

“We actually don’t have much further to go. Maybe a mile or two, if I remember correctly. It’s already flatter here. This was the worst of it.”

Eddie got up first and helped Buck to his feet. He tested his weight and it seemed ok. They started moving a slow pace, Eddie hovering close to him.

They finally reach the car with a sigh of relief.

"Hey Eds, remember when I almost feel off a cliff? Good times."

Eddie scowled and punched Buck in the arm, not hard, but just enough for him to flinch. "Not funny, Buck."

"Do that again, it almost made me forget about the pain in my leg."

"You must be feeling better, to make a joke like that."

“Getting there Eds, getting there.”

~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~

After David had deposited a loopy Patrick back to his apartment and waited until he fell asleep, he headed back to the motel to get a few things and hopefully talk to Alexis about a few things.

He was able to do that and also got scolded by his mother and father for letting Patrick get to the store before him to have him do all the work. He tried and failed to explain how their process worked. 

Alexis exchanging looks with him in the silent agreement that they never take what their parents tell them seriously. 

He made an excuse that he had to tend to his wounded lover, which put his mother in a tirade about something like that happening on her soap. 

His father yelling something about a picnic tomorrow for lunch. Only half listening and nodding in agreement. 

He was able to escape and made it to his car when a familiar looking truck pulled up next to him.

Eddie gave a silent wave and made his way to Buck’s side.

Buck gingerly got out, leaning on Eddie for support.

Once he got a good glimpse of Buck, he gasped. He was dirty and his hands were wrapped up and he wasn’t putting much weight on one leg.

“Oh no! What happened?”

“Oh, hey David. My leg decided it didn’t want to go for a hike, and gave out on me. On that one stretch that is really steep? Yeah, I almost went over the side.”

He knew that section quite well. He surprised himself when he was able to climb that, with many complaints on his end.

“Oh god!”

“Yeah, we made it in one piece though. Oh! How’s Patrick?”

“Oh, fine. Just resting. No broken bones or concussion. If you need any first aid stuff, Stevie can point you in the right direction.”

They exchanged good nights and they were headed back to their room.

“Oh, my dad is having a picnic at lunch time. Will be right here if you guys are interested. Burgers and hotdogs and plenty of other stuff.”

They nodded tiredly before shutting the door.

Shaking his head, he made his way back to the apartment. 

That trail is cursed! Maybe he could recruit Twyla to work her magic. 


End file.
